The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued orders to the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) to make payments of royalty of gas extracted from areas of Bugti tribes within three months to Shahzain Bugti as per agreement.
A single bench of the IHC headed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui took up Shahzain Bugti’s case against the federation for hearing on Wednesday.
Counsel for petitioner Syed Khawar Amir Bokhari, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Hasnain Ibrahim Kazmi and counsel for the OGDCL appeared in the court.
The counsel for the petitioner told the court that the OGDCL had executed a written agreement with Nawabzada Akbar Bugti in 2003 whereby assurance was given to make payments in return for the gas extracted from the area of 3,500 acres. But no payment was being made by the OGDCL since the last two years as per agreement against the gas extracted from the areas of Bugti tribes, he added.
The counsel for petitioner told that the court had issued orders to the OGDCL to make immediate payments to the petitioner as per written agreement on account of gas extracted from there.
The counsel for OGDCL filed an affidavit in the court wherein it was stated that the OGDCL wanted to review the agreement executed with Shahzain Bugti and the court was assured that payments on account of royalty would be made to the petitioner as per agreement.
The court while accepting the affidavit filed by OGDCL ordered OGDCL should review the agreement signed with the petitioner and make payments under the head of royalty within 3 months.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case indefinitely.